LinkedIn recently hit 100M users. If you were in charge at LinkedIn, what would be your strategic goals for the next several years? How would you achieve them?
LinkedIn is the number one PNS in the US and Europe for several reasons including the ability for professionals to connect and learn from each other. Despite the high switching costs involved, LinkedIn needs to continuously develop their features in order to keep active users. For example they need to:
Further Develop the Job Search Aspect
Since this is a social media site for professionals I believe, LinkedIn should offer their job application free of charge for users. Why not make this site similar to Monster or other job search engines where consumers can search jobs for free but employers pay a fee to have their open job opportunities listed. To me it makes sense that the opportunity to advance your career on a professional networking site be free of charge for consumers.
Further Develop the Recruiting Process
I think it would also benefit LinkedIn to begin marketing to college Juniors and Seniors who are looking for internships or entry level positions. Although this market may not yet be professionals most of them are starting their careers and beginning to develop their networks in order to eventually become professionals.
Do not dramatically blend the line between having a professional or social media site
Professionals often face consequences and issues balancing their social lives with their professional lives. For example, co-workers who go to happy hour together or spend time outside of work together may have trouble keeping the social aspect of their relationship outside of the office. The same could be true if LinkedIn continues to increase the social portion of their website. Professionals usually like to keep their personal and professional lives separate which happens to add a large part of the attraction and value to LinkedIn. I do not believe a social addition to this site will add value to the end user.
I agree with your last point strongly. I too believe that people want to keep the social and professional aspects of their lives separate from each other. Instead of following the "me too" attitude, LinkedIn as you recommended should focus its attentions in strengthening its core capabilities.
ReplyDeleteYes. The thing that makes LinkedIn not Facebook is the fact that it is a "classy" version of Facebook. Any social thing they would want to add is possibly to allow users to show people their Facebook pages, without actually adding any LinkedIn produced content. Like you said it is outside their core competencies so no reason to spend time on it.
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